THE SEVENTH CAPTAIN IN TEAM HISTORY, SYLVIO MANTHA AND HIS PHYSICAL GAME WERE THE CORNERSTONE OF THE HABS’ DEFENSE CORPS FOR 13 SEASONS.

A native Montrealer, Sylvio Mantha grew up in St. Henri, a working class neighbourhood a stone’s throw from the Forum. Playing right wing in local amateur and industrial leagues, he attracted the attention of Canadiens General Manager Leo Dandurand, who snapped him up and had the strapping 5-foot-10, 180-pounder in uniform to start the 1923-24 NHL season.

The young forward was converted into a defenseman shortly after breaking in with the Habs. He went on to enjoy a long successful career, establishing the standard of excellence for stay-at-home defensemen for generations to come.

Mantha’s rookie season ended on the best possible note imaginable. He adapted to his new position with ease, thriving in his environment and ended the year as a Stanley Cup Champion.

A tough, strong and mobile defenseman, opposing forwards had no easy way to get around Mantha. Among the NHL’s bigger men, the fiercely competitive Mantha made good use of his size, able to eliminate oncoming threats with a solid hip check. The versatile rearguard also made frequent use of both his fists and stick in the heat of battle.

Mantha played his rock-ribbed game for 13 complete seasons with the Canadiens, missing an average of just one game per year. His tireless efforts and dedication to the team’s success led to Mantha’s appointment as captain to start the 1926-27 campaign. This was a title that, with the exception of one year, he would proudly hold for the rest of his tenure in Montreal.

With younger brother Georges’ arrival in 1928-29, the Canadiens iced one of the NHL’s first and most talented brother acts. They played together for the next eight years, sharing Stanley Cup Championships in 1930 and 1931, with both Manthas leading the charge in the postseason.

While his main charge involved preventing the opposition from scoring, Mantha also found the twine with regularity, scoring 10 goals in 1926-27 and 13 three years later. In 1928, he scored the first-ever goal at the brand new Boston Garden, securing a win for the visiting team.

Adding coaching responsibilities to his plate towards the end of the 1934-35 season, the veteran defenseman served as player-coach until leaving the club following the end of play in 1935-36.

After a brief on-ice return with Boston the following year, Mantha retired for good and devoted much of the next decade to coaching amateur teams in and around Montreal.

Mantha appeared in 538 regular season games over 13 years wearing the bleu-blanc-rouge, scoring 63 goals and adding 78 assists. His 689 penalty minutes secured his spot as one NHL’s best tough guys in the league’s early days.

In 1960, the Hockey Hall of Fame inducted Mantha as an honored member, recognizing his rightful place among the game’s superstars. Sylvio Mantha passed away in 1974. His name lives on in his hometown, where a local arena is dedicated to his memory.